Desire
by phoenixfeather2
Summary: The Mirror of Erised it back in Hogwarts, who will chsoe to look in it and what will they see?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing  
  
"And finally, I have an announcement of a more unusual nature".  
  
Albus Dumbledore gazed down from the staff table at the thousand bright faces below him, full of excited anticipation for the school year ahead.  
  
"As you know, the education you recieve here at Hogwarts is more than just what you learn inside the classroom. You are here to learn about friendship, truth, respect and above all about yourself. While these are not things you can be taught directly there are certain ways to help you in your quest for self-knowledge. There is a certain object which I know several students here are already aquainted with." At this he glanced at Harry and Ron with a twinkle in his eye.  
  
"The Mirror Of Erised is a magical mirror which will show your heart's deepest, most desperate desire. I am offering each of you a chance to use this mirror. It is entirely up to you whether you chose to use it or not, however I feel it will provide some of you with some valuble knowledge you did not previously know about yourself. The outcome might suprise you.  
  
"The mirror will be placed for the duration of the year in the classroom past the statue of Hettie the Hag on the second floor.  
  
"And now, without further ado, lets eat." 


	2. Hermione

Disclaimer: I still own nothing  
  
I have to admit, after Ron and Harry told me baout the Mirror of Erised back in first year I've been mildly curious as to what I'd see. I mean, my truest heart's desire, there are so many possibilities I can think of but I certainly can't determine which is the one I want most. So when Professor Dumbledore announced the mirror was accessable to the students this year I immediately decided I'd come and look in it. I decided to come early in the morning to make sure there wouldn't be other people around, watching me.  
  
As I crept into the room on the second floor I was vaguely aware of how cold my fingers were but it didn't really bother me, I was quite anxious with anticipation by that stage. I crossed the room quickly and stopped in front of the mirror. It sounds ridiculous but I was so nervous I ws shaking. However the shaking seemed to increase tenfold when I actually looked up. I was expecting to see myself with a huge amount of NEWTs or Dumbledore shaking my hand at our leaving feat or being recognised somehow for doing something really amazing and wonderful! But instead I saw... us. Ron, Harry and myself I mean. ANd someone else... my child, mine and Ron's. It was such a beautiful scene. I was sitting up on a bed, I think in hospital and Ron was sitting on the edge of it holding what could only be our child. Honestly, the hair on it! Flaming red and very bushy, especially for a baby so young. Harry was dancing around taking pictures with a big, sparkling wizard camera. And we were all laughing. We looked older than we are now, but we were still best friends. I was married to Ron, we were all alive and most incredibly, we were still smiling. The war might have been raging outside the wondows, the rest of the world might have vanished but it didn't matter. The three of us were together.  
  
It suprised me at first but when I thought about everything it made sense. With Ron and Harry I can do anything, without them and their support I'm nothing. I wonder is they'll ever know how important they are to me. 


	3. Snape

Disclaimer: Do you siriusly think I've suddenly inherited the harry Potter characters? Sorry, I still own nothing.  
  
I sweep down the corridors of Hogwarts rather less zealously than usual. I'm still fuming from my meeting with Albus earlier today. That man is possibly one of the most infuriating people on the face of the planet. After his little speech at the start of year feast about how the mirror was there for everyone to make their own minds up about using it he has certainly had a rather dramatic about turn. I was summoned to his office just before lunch where he informed me that he wanted me to go and look in the Mirror of Erised. I tried to argue but he very quickly replied that in my case he has found it neccessary to make it a compulsary activity since he wills I will 'greatly benefit from the experience'. I am not worried about being 'at one with myself', in fact I find myself snorting at the very thought. I find I have reached my destination and blast my way through the door. I think about leaving the door in hundreds of pieces scattered across the room just to further emphesise my reluctance to Albus but it seems rather childish so I wave my wand at the door and mutter 'reparo'. I am half tempted to shatter it again just so I can waste more time fixing it but I think I had better just get this over and done with.  
  
As I cross the room my mind does briefly entertain the wandering of what I will see when I look in the mirror. Myself screaming at Longbottom perhaps, the rest of the staff finally seeing what I do, that the boy is the closest thing to a squib as possible and certainly not worth the time spent trying to improve him. Or even better myself standing in the Entrance Hall with the whole school watching Potter leave in disgrace having been caught in the act of something awful by myself. I actually speed up when i think of this, almost wanting to look into that dratted mirror so I can see this wonderful sight. I stand in front of the mirror and look in. All I see is myself, staring back. The thing is clearly broken, I had better go and inform Albus. Just as I have decided to leave my reflection starts to move, to lift his arm. A small pang of understanding runs through my body and I realise what I want more than anything else in the world even before I see my reflection raise his arm and slowly pull up his sleeve to reveal smooth, pale, bare flesh on his forearm. I move closer and stare at the image, trying to get closer, to examine that bare flesh and memorise every inch of it's beauty. It's not just a bare arm, it symbolise my freedom, my peace of mind, my safety. I stare at the image hungrily trying to imprint it in my mind, I drink it in as if it can sustain me. And I imagine that it could. If only that ugly black mark was off my arm i wouldn't need anything else, nothing else would matter.  
  
I turn away abruptly. What's the point of taunting yourself with something you can never have? I exit the room even more rapidly than I enter, slamming the door behind me. I get about halfway down the corridor and with the slightest of smirks on my face turn around, point my wand back at the room and last the door back into a million little pieces. Much better I think, as I sweep majestically down the corridor, glaring at Longbottom as I encounter him trying desperately to remember which staircase he needs to take to get back to his corridor.  
  
'Twenty points from Gryffindor for your pure stupidity, Mr Longbottom.'  
  
Thank Merlin for small blessings. 


End file.
